Ginger & Marshmallow Cake

During my last year at University a weekly bake-off between our Master’s project group would occur – our Supervisor had 6 students, so in groups of 3 we would meet up on a Monday afternoon, and each week someone in each of the groups would have some sort of bake to offer – it made what was a hard year, a good and fun one and just took the edge of the pressures that come with project meetings. That’s probably been the only year in my life where Monday has been an exciting day – that’ll never happen again I’m sure – unless Monday Bake-Off’s are revived elsewhere – but it wouldn’t be the same without the original bakers!

Our supervisor had it all sorted, two sessions of cake every Monday – genius, why did no one think of it sooner, why only in our fourth year did such a tradition become alive! Now, every four weeks it would be your turn, not only did you want to upstage your last bake, but you had to upstage the last three weeks of baking, so each week you’d gage what show-stopper you would bring to the table during your week; so each week a new elaborate bakes would come alive, and we’d scoff them up as we discussed all things Geology.

So my group in-particular, love a good bake, and Monday Bake-Off’s sparked something in us all, and still now we chat and catch up, and generally we sod any Geology talk and it revolves around new bakes we’ve tried out, the good, the bad, and the ugly! There’s also often periods, where undiscussed, we’ve all baked something similar, and then pictures crop up online, and its almost like we’re all on the same baking-wavelength – for instance, this Christmas we all made renditions of mini Christmas Puddings.

It had been a while since we had all seen each other, our Graduation infact which feels like a lifetime ago, though it was only back in July! So it seemed fitting that we should get the baking team back together and talk all things life and baking. So we each made a cake, and this was my addition to the mix, and incredibly rich ginger cake with layers of ginger buttercream, covered in marshmallow – having recently bought a blow torch it was time to go all out and get some use out it! I didn’t quite anticipate how rich this would be, as you often think of marshmallow being light, but this was by no means a cake for the faint-hearted, the marshmallow is that indulgent and dangerous type – just the way I like my cakes!

This bake was inspired once again by BBCGoodFood – which looks far better and structured than my own attempt, but I like to say I’ve gone for a rustic and artsy look here and where each flip and flop of marshmallow was carefully constructed to be that way – and not that I’m dreadful at shaping marshmallow and went for the plonking it on technique after failing to make lines, not that at all.

Print

Ginger Marshmallow Cake

A cake that shouts celebration. Full of spiced ginger but mellowed with a soft and sticky marshmallow icing

AuthorFentonEats

Ingredients

Ginger Cake

125mlmilkwhole preferably

100gblack treacle

150ggolden syrup

3egg yolks

100gunsalted butter

225gplain floursifted

2.5tspginger powder

1tspcinnamon powder

1tspbicarb of soda

Marshmallow Icing

3egg whites

175ggolden caster sugar

1tspwater

Ginger Buttercream

4stem gingerfinely chopped

1tspginger syrupfrom stem ginger jar

0.5tspginger powder

140gunsalted butterroom temperature

250gicing sugarsifted

Instructions

Ginger Cake

Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F/140°C (fan ovens)/gas mark 3, then grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper

In a pan melt the sugar, treacle, syrup and butter; once melted set aside for 10 minutes before using in the next steps

In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients - the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger and bicarb of soda

Pour the warm syrup mixture into the dry ingredients, followed by the milk and then the egg yolks; whisk these until you have a smooth batter

Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake for an hour or until a skewer comes out clean; once ready remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 30 mins before turning out onto a wire rack

Ginger Buttercream

Remove the bowl from the heat and continue mixing for another 3 minutes until the egg whites form stiff peaks and have cooled

Using an electric mixer now combined the mixture until it is smooth and there are no lumps

Marshmallow

Heat a pan of water to a boil and then reduce to the to a steady simmer

Place the egg whites, sugar, water and salt into a heatproof bowl, and then place this over the pan of simmering water ensuring that the bowl does not touch the hot water

Whisk the mixture until thick and the egg whites leave a significant trail from the beaters - roughly 4-5 minutes

Remove the bowl from the heat and continue mixing for another 3 minutes until the egg whites form stiff peaks and have cooled

Post navigation

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Recipe Rating

Check here to Subscribe to notifications for new posts

About Fenton Eats

Fenton Eats is a means of exploring and challenging perceptions on food, to better understanding and promote an appreciation for the food system in it's entirety.

Food is such a fundamental aspect of our existence and forms one of our strongest links to the natural world, yet, myself included, we have become overwhelmingly ignorant and disconnected to the importance of food in so many aspects.